Texas Supreme Court paves way for strict abortion law to remain in place

The Texas Supreme Court on Friday paved the way for the nation's toughest abortion law to remain in place in a ruling that again deflated clinics' hopes of stopping - or even pausing - the restrictions anytime soon.

The ruling by the all-Republican court is the latest defeat for Texas abortion providers, which have now lost at both the U.S. Supreme Court and the state's highest court since a ban on abortions after roughly six weeks of pregnancy took effect in September.

It is likely to further embolden other Republican-controlled states that are now pressing forward with similar laws, including neighboring Oklahoma, where many Texas women have crossed state lines to get an abortion for the past six months. The Republican-controlled Oklahoma Senate on Thursday approved a half-dozen anti-abortion measures, including a Texas-style ban.